Colonoscopy · China
Colonoscopy in China: what it costs and how it compares with waiting at home
Prices checked 26 October 2026 (Taipei time)
Short answer
We found 1 published price for a colonoscopy in China, from CN¥430, or about £48 before flights and a hotel. Paying privately in the UK costs about £1,890 to £3,510 at the providers we checked.
- Published price
- CN¥430about £48 · about €58 · about C$90 · about $64
- Price is for
- one diagnostic or screening colonoscopy, with sedation and biopsies shown separately where the clinic prices them separately
- Where
- Shanghai
- Providers
- 1 (Public hospitals (official maximum))
- Time there
- 2 days: bowel preparation the day before, the test the next day, and someone to take you back to your hotel after sedation
- NHS England wait
- 30.9% waiting over 6 weeks (August 2026)
Published colonoscopy prices in China
Every row is a price the provider publishes itself, read on the date shown. We copy what the price includes and what it leaves out; where the provider does not say, the row says “not stated”. We do not use prices from brokers or medical-travel agencies.
| Provider | Published price | What the price is for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public hospitals (official maximum)Shanghai | CN¥430about £48 · €58 · C$90 · $64 | Routine lower GI endoscopy (colonoscopy)Procedure fee only: sedation, pathology and polyp removal are charged separately. Effective 30 June 2026. International departments charge more. | Shanghai Municipal Healthcare Security Administrationread 26 October 2026 |
Prices are copied as published, in the provider's currency. Conversions use the European Central Bank reference rates of 23 October 2026 and are rounded. A provider can change a price at any time: ask for a written quote.
The low prices are official maximums for the ordinary service of public hospitals, where few staff speak English. International departments and private hospitals cost far more: Shanghai International Medical Center lists ¥3,500 for an MRI of one site against the city's public cap of ¥430 (SIMC, Shanghai notice).
Entry. China's Foreign Ministry announced visa-free stays of up to 30 days for holders of ordinary British and Canadian passports from 17 February 2026 (MFA, in Chinese); the Chinese embassy in Canada lists Canada, the UK and Ireland among the unilateral visa-free countries until 31 December 2026 (embassy page, in Chinese). The 240-hour transit visa-free scheme now covers 57 countries and needs a confirmed onward ticket to a third country (Xinhua). We did not find an official page confirming visa-free entry for US citizens. Rules change: check before you book.
Compared with waiting or paying at home
The official waiting figure and the self-pay price in each home country, next to the China price converted to that currency. The China figure does not include flights, a hotel or time off work.
| Where you live | Official wait | Pay at home | Here, converted |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | 30.9% waiting over 6 weeksEngland, August 2026 | £1,890 to £3,510 | £48before flights and hotel |
| Canada | No official figure found | Not verified | C$90before flights and hotel |
| Ireland | About 30% waiting over 6 monthsIreland (public hospitals), 24 September 2026 | Not verified | €58before flights and hotel |
| US | No national figure | $1,6402021 hospital data or a dental school | $64before flights and hotel |
Waits are the latest official statistics; each country measures them differently, so read the label. Home prices are published self-pay prices; for the US they are 2021 hospital medians or a dental school's estimate.
Add your flight and hotel
Put in your own flight and hotel to see the total for China next to your wait and your price at home.
How it works for a visitor
- Ask for a written quoteSend the clinic your referral or reason for the colonoscopy and ask for an itemised price, the date, and what happens if the result needs follow-up.
- Before you goSend the clinic your medicines list, especially blood thinners, diabetes medicines and iron tablets.
- Before you goPlan two nights at least: the preparation day keeps you close to a toilet.
- Before you goDo not fly on the day of the test if you have had sedation or a polyp removed; ask the clinic how long to wait.
- LanguageMandarin; English is reliable only in international departments and private hospitals.
- Entry rulesCheck the official advice for your passport before booking: UK citizens (FCDO entry requirements), Canadian citizens (travel.gc.ca), US citizens (State Department, choose the country), Irish citizens (DFA travel advice, choose the country).
- After you returnGive your doctor the report, photos and lab results. Ask the clinic to email the lab result if it arrives after you leave.
- After you returnKnow who to call if you have bleeding or tummy pain after you fly home.
Can your public system pay for it?
NHS and HSE schemes do not reach China. The NHS S2 route covers state treatment in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, and the HSE schemes cover the EU, EEA, the UK and Switzerland. Treatment in China is paid by you or by a private insurer who agrees in advance. NHS S2 route, HSE Treatment Abroad Scheme.
When not to travel for a colonoscopy
- Bleeding from the bottom, black stools, a change in bowel habit with weight loss, or a positive home screening test: these belong on an urgent pathway at home first. In England, ask your GP about the urgent suspected-cancer referral.
- People with serious heart, lung or kidney disease, or on blood thinners, unless the clinic has reviewed their medicines in advance.
- Travelling alone with no one to collect you after sedation. Clinics usually require an escort.
How to compare colonoscopy quotes
A colonoscopy is a camera test of the large bowel. The day before, you drink a laxative preparation to empty the bowel. Most clinics offer sedation. Small growths (polyps) can be removed during the test and sent to a lab, which can add a fee and a few days for the result.
- Check whether sedation or anaesthesia is in the price. Many price lists show it as a separate line.
- Ask how biopsy and polyp removal are charged, and how long the lab result takes.
- Some clinics only sell a colonoscopy as part of a health-check package.
- Ask whether the bowel preparation is supplied and when you must start it.
Providers on this page
We list providers because they publish a price, not because we recommend them. No clinic pays to be listed, and we have not visited any of them.
- Public hospitals (official maximum), Shanghai: CN¥430
Related comparisons
Colonoscopy in China: questions
How much does a colonoscopy cost in China?
The published prices we found range from CN¥430, about £48 or $64. They come from Public hospitals (official maximum). Each covers something slightly different, so read what is included before comparing.
Is a colonoscopy in China cheaper than paying privately in the UK?
Before travel, the prices here work out at about £48, against about £1,890 to £3,510 at the UK providers we checked. Add a return flight and 3 nights in a hotel before deciding; the calculator on the home page does the sum.
Will the NHS or HSE pay for a colonoscopy in China?
No. The NHS S2 route and the HSE schemes cover planned treatment in Europe only. China is outside them, so you pay yourself or through a private insurer that agrees in advance.
How many days should I plan in China?
2 days: bowel preparation the day before, the test the next day, and someone to take you back to your hotel after sedation. That is our planning estimate, not medical advice: the clinic sets the schedule, and you should ask it for one in writing.
What should I check before booking a colonoscopy in China?
Check whether sedation or anaesthesia is in the price. Many price lists show it as a separate line. Ask how biopsy and polyp removal are charged, and how long the lab result takes.
Sources
- Hu Yi Bao Jia Cai Fa [2025] No. 52 (沪医保价采发〔2025〕52号): digestive endoscopy price items, effective 30 June 2026 (in Chinese). Shanghai Municipal Healthcare Security Administration, 2025. Read 26 October 2026.
- Planned treatment: S2 funding route. NHS (nhs.uk). Read 26 October 2026.
- Treatment Abroad Scheme. Health Service Executive (HSE). Read 26 October 2026.
- Price list (service guide). Shanghai International Medical Center (SIMC). Read 26 October 2026.
- Hu Yi Bao Jia Cai Fa [2025] No. 11 (沪医保价采发〔2025〕11号): radiology examination prices (in Chinese). Shanghai Municipal Healthcare Security Administration, 16 April 2025. Read 26 October 2026.
- Foreign Ministry spokesperson on visa-free entry for Canada and the UK from 17 February 2026 (in Chinese). Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC, 15 February 2026. Read 26 October 2026.
- Unilateral visa-free policy (单方面免签) (in Chinese). Embassy of the PRC in Canada, May 2026. Read 26 October 2026.
- 240-hour transit visa-free policy extended to 57 countries (in Chinese). Xinhua News Agency, 20 August 2026. Read 26 October 2026.
- Euro foreign exchange reference rates. European Central Bank, 23 October 2026. Read 26 October 2026.